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Four New Zealand flag designs revealed

Four new designs picked to contend with New Zealand's current flag are revealed on Tuesday.

Aaron Dustin's long-listed Red Peak design has become a social media darling in a race that has so far failed to inspire much excitement among Kiwis. But it is not among the four shortlisted designs that will go to a referendum in November.

Now a campaign is under way to have Red Peak included as a late entry, sparking a fight between political leaders, legal experts and flag lovers that is threatening to become the most exciting thing to happen across the ditch in years.

The original four: silver ferns, with and without stars, and Koru (Black). Photo: NZ Government

But the PM is not for turning. Speaking to morning television's Paul Henry (who made a brief, disastrous foray into Australian TV in 2012), Mr Key said the recommendations of the Flag Consideration Panel had been accepted by the cabinet and the issue would not be revisited.

"To accept any other flag - the All Blacks one with the silver fern, any other one - we would have to change the law, and we're not going back to Parliament to change the law," he said.

The panel had considered more than 10,000 submissions, whittling them down to a long-list of 40 and then, last week, the final four.

Voters will get the chance to rank those options at a first referendum, with the winner going head-to-head with the incumbent flag (featuring the Union Jack) at a second referendum in March or April next year.

One of the leading proponents of Red Peak, venture capitalist Rowan Simpson, said he was "saddened and disappointed" to see it left off the shortlist.

He liked the design because it was was "clever and elegant" and referenced the Maori myth of Ranginui and Papatuanuku.

Speaking on breakfast radio on Monday, Mr Simpson conceded it was "a really long shot" that Red Peak could be added at the last minute, but argued the final four were too similar and dull.

"It's almost been predetermined that it's going to be a [silver] fern with stars," he said.

The silver fern and the Southern Cross are also key symbols in New Zealand culture. Two of the shortlisted designs - including the one favoured by Mr Key - are by Wellington-born, Melbourne-based architectural designer Kyle Lockwood.

Electoral law expert Graeme Edgeler told New Zealand media that the government could add Red Peak to the ballot paper if it wished, but considered it unlikely.

"Cabinet could just issue a new order in council and change the alternative flags if it really wanted to," he said.

"Perhaps if there were a million people in a march, but I think it's highly unlikely anything could change the government's mind in time for the printing of the ballot."

So far, the debate about a possible new flag has failed to stir significant animation among most New Zealanders. Support for a change has languished around 25 per cent, while a recent poll by The New Zealand Herald found 53 per cent of respondents wanted to keep the existing flag.

Another Change.org petition in favour of keeping the current flag had garnered almost 50,000 signatures as of Monday morning.